Shattered
by MangoKat
Summary: The Dark Kingdom has long since been defeated, and Jedite is finally released from his banishment. He wakes up ten years after Beryl's defeat to discover he's alone in the world, everyone he knew is now long dead. What will he do with his life when his power and allies are all gone?
1. All Humans Are Garbage

**Authornote:** **Dec. 22nd 2017**

 **Hi everyone! This is my very first Sailor Moon fanfic, so please be nice! My sister requested this for a Christmas present, and so the credit for the idea goes to her. She was very specific in what she wanted, and so I hope this turned out well. I am planning on giving this to her on Christmas Day, and so I thought I'd post it on here to get some feedback first.**

 **I must admit that I don't know very much about Sailor Moon since I haven't seen it since the 90's, but I did my best. My memory is a little fuzzy on some of the details of the show, but I think I got the gist of it. If I made any obvious mistakes, please feel free to point them out to me so they can be corrected. The next chapter is longer, because chapter 1 is just an introductory chapter. There will be quite a few chapters of this story.**

 **Please let me know any feedback, suggestions or criticisms you might have, and I'll do my best to improve. Chapter 2 will be posted tomorrow.**

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 **Shattered**

Chapter 1

All Humans Are Garbage

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It was extremely dark and cold in his prison. He wasn't sure how long he'd been floating in the darkness of nothing, but his mind felt heavy and it was difficult to think. He drifted in and out of consciousness countless times, and he couldn't seem to push through the veil of darkness pressing down on him. At first he simply felt weak and in pain, but as time went on, he began to get more awareness to his situation. He tried to wake, tried to move, but he couldn't seem to push past whatever was holding him back. Every time he woke, he fought to get free, and felt his agitation grow when his efforts made no difference. He felt no hunger, and he did not need to breath, and so he was forced to live through the torture of his imprisonment day after day, week after week.

Slowly his mind began to become clearer and clearer, and he remembered what had happened, who he was, and where he was. His name was Jedite, and he was the first general of Queen Beryl and the commander of the dark army. At least that's who he used to be... He had failed in his mission for the queen, and he'd been banished. He didn't know how long ago this had happened, but he had a feeling he'd been imprisoned for a very long time.

As his mind lost the remainder of its fog, Jedite realized something wasn't right about this situation. He should have been deeply asleep for all eternity, but he was awake and aware of everything. Something had gone wrong, and he knew this was definitely not a good thing. He would be awake for his entire banishment, and the boredom and isolation would surely drive him mad. How many hundreds of years would he be trapped like this? He had no choice but to silently endure it.

As the days dragged by agonizingly slowly, Jedite was plagued by his failures, and he saw each and every single thing he had done wrong during his mission. He had allowed a group of fourteen year old girls to best him, and that more than anything was infuriating. He now saw he should have been more subtle with his attempts to gather energy, and if he had've been just a bit more clever, the Sailor Scouts never would have known what he was doing. It was his arrogance and his want to prove himself that was his downfall. He had disappointed his queen and brought shame on himself for his reckless actions, and he knew he deserved the banishment. He wished he could redeem himself in her eyes, prove that he wasn't a failure, but he knew mercy was unlikely. Beryl tended to hold grudges indefinitely, and he doubted she would ever release him. He would be trapped like this for all eternity.

It wasn't long after this when he heard a loud cracking sound. Startled, he knew he should hear nothing except silence. There was another loud crack, and realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Was queen Beryl ending his banishment?! Was she finally going to release him? A tiny flicker of hope welled inside him, and as the cracking became louder and louder, he now felt certain he was being summoned.

There was a loud crack right next to his ear, and just like that he could move again. He felt a wave of freezing cold air wash over him, and Jedite sucked in his first breath of air greedily, not realizing how good it felt simply to breathe. Pieces of the shattered containment crystal fell around him in a shower of white, and he blinked heavily, the sunlight around him hurting his eyes. Jedite paused, hands still raised to his eyes. Wait...sunlight? He opened his eyes, and looked around himself in confusion. There was snow and trees all around him, and it looked like he was somewhere on Earth, a park perhaps.

He was on his knees in the snow, and although feeling completely exhausted, he forced himself up to his feet. His breath was coming out in frozen puffs, and despite himself, he let out a shiver. There was no one in sight, and it was eerily calm and quiet. He knew that in his current state, he would never be able to teleport himself, and so he called out to his queen.

"...Queen Beryl?" Jedite asked a bit hesitantly.

There was no response.

Queen Beryl's magic was thick and powerful, but he couldn't sense her at all. It was as if she had simply disappeared without a trace. He should have been able to sense her no matter where she was on the planet, but there was nothing. Had she returned to the Dark Kingdom, or had she been defeated? Feeling confused, he gave another glance around. The other three Generals would have to fill him in on what had happened. It was possible their mission had simply changed.

"Nephrite?" he called out.

He waited a few moments and then frowned. Nephrite, by far, was the most genial of the four Generals, and the one most likely to help him. Nephrite had been the one to train him many years ago, and although they didn't always get along, the other man always answered him when called. If he wasn't answering, then he'd likely been killed or banished. Jedite frowned, and then tried again.

"Zoisite?"

Silence.

Zoisite and he had never gotten along, and they fought like cats and dogs, but it was strange for the other man to simply ignore him. Normally he would have appeared to at least mock him a bit while refusing to help, but the silence persisted. Starting to get worried, Jedite hesitated before calling out to the fourth and final General.

"Malachite? Are you there?"

Malachite was the leader of the four Generals, and was as cold and serious as one could be. He didn't really seem to like anybody, and he was quick to doll out punishments for any form of incompetence. He tolerated Zoisite because he was in charge of his training, but he detested dealing with anyone else. Summoning him would have repercussions, but Jedite was willing to accept them if that meant getting answers.

He was dismayed when there was no reply, and was starting to get rather worried. Where was everyone? Were they gone from Earth or were they all dead? He would have gone to investigate Beryl's lair, but he was so weak that he couldn't even feel his magic. He couldn't sense any sort of dark energy at all, and that was what was worrying him the most. He should have been able to feel The Dark Kingdom's influence all around him, but he felt nothing at all. It was almost like everything evil had been purged from the planet.

Jedite shook his head. No, that was impossible. A few children would never be able to defeat the most powerful army in the whole universe! They couldn't have...could they? Was everyone he knew dead or banished now? Was he the last survivor of the Dark Kingdom? If queen Beryl was dead, then that would explain why he'd been released out of the containment crystal. It would have slowly lost its power over time, and wouldn't have been able to maintain itself. No one had summoned him, and no one had forgiven him. He had escaped because everyone else was dead.

Jedite blinked and wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this. His entire cause was gone, and he was on the losing side. Everything he had worked for, and everything he had believed in had all been for nothing. He himself was now a nothing. He had no rank, he had no power, and he had nowhere to go. Where was he supposed to go from here?

Jedite's frown deepened, and he gave another glance around, still seeing no signs of anyone around. It was clearly too cold for any humans to be in the park this day, and so he was alone. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned his attention to the tall buildings in the distance. Regardless of what had happened, he knew he couldn't stay in the park forever. He would find out what had happened, and then make his plan from there. In the meantime, he had to get out of the cold before he froze to death.

Awkwardly trudging through knee-deep snow, Jedite slowly made his way out of the park, heading into the town. He hoped his magic would return to him soon, and then he could leave this miserable planet before he was discovered. He hated Earth, and he hated humans, and he had no desire to stay longer than he had to. Hugging his arms around himself as he walked, he shivered and was relieved when he came to a cleared sidewalk. Brushing a bit of the snow off his pants, he sped up, hoping to warm himself up. As he left the park and entered the city, he quickly recognized it as Tokyo and let out another sigh. This was just perfect. He was powerless and in Sailor Moon's hometown. It seemed that he was not destined to catch a break today.

As he walked along a busy street, he realized to his dismay he was not only cold, but hungry as well. Normally this wouldn't have been an issue, because he'd just use his magic to nourish himself, but he had none to draw on. He would have to eat something if he wanted any hope of regaining his strength, but there was a problem. He wasn't entirely certain he could eat the food grown on Earth. He was not a human despite appearances, and he had no way of knowing if the food would poison him or not.

He'd seen and smelled plenty of human food during his various schemes, but he had never actually eaten any of it. Any food or drink he had consumed had been made by himself, and he couldn't remember if any of the other Generals had ever eaten human food. Sailor Moon and the scouts were able to eat, but they had been reborn as humans which was a little different. It would be a stupid way to die if he ended up poisoning himself.

Zoisite had once told him they used to be humans from Earth many, many years ago, but he knew Zoisite had been just trying to mess with him. Humans didn't have magic, and they certainly didn't live for as long as they had. He had always been a part of the Dark Kingdom and there was nothing before. Zoisite was just an annoying nuisance.

Letting out a sigh, he ducked into a nearby alleyway to gather his thoughts. He needed a plan, and he needed to find somewhere safe to hide out. He couldn't afford to catch the Sailor Scouts attention right now, and so he needed to remain as low profile as possible. In order to blend in with humans, he'd need to get his hands on some money, because if there was one thing he had learned, it was that money ruled this strange little planet. Without it you couldn't eat, you had nowhere to live, and essentially you would die. Money meant power, and so he knew he needed lots of it.

Getting money wouldn't have been a problem if he still had his magic, but until it returned, he was on his own. He was trained as a warrior, but his physical strength was so low right now that he doubted he could overpower anyone to steal. He had no idea how he was going to blend in, and hoped he'd be able to leave within a day or two.

To his annoyance, the cold was making his nose run, and he gave a sniff, knowing his first priority had to be to find a warm place to stay. Once he was warm and out of the snow, he knew he'd be able to think with a lot more clarity. With one last shiver, he started to head back out onto the busy sidewalk. He definitely wasn't expecting someone to grab him from behind, and jerk him around violently.

Taken by surprise, Jedite's back hit the wall hard, and he looked up to see a group of young men gathered around him sneering. They were wearing all black and they had white facepaint covering their faces in the design of a skull. They had more piercings than he could count, and the one holding him was clearly their leader, the man built like a gorilla.

"What are you doing in our territory, blondie?" the one holding him by the collar demanded. "This block belongs to the Shinigami Gang!"

"Let go of me!" Jedite ordered, attempting to shove the man away from him.

He was thrown right back against the wall even harder.

"Nice try." the man scoffed. "But do you have any idea what we do to people who trespass?"

He flicked out a switchblade and held it to Jedite's cheek.

"People who don't show us the proper respect get cut. Entering our territory without permission is the ultimate insult, and I think we should teach you a lesson."

"Get your hands off me, you disgusting human!" Jedite snarled. "Do you have any idea who I am? I could destroy you with just a flick of my hand!"

The leader of the gang laughed. "Human?" he questioned. "What a weirdo."

Jedite tried to pull away angrily. "Let me go now!"

The man glanced over his shoulder at the others. "What do you think, boys? Should we teach the pretty little blonde a lesson?"

The other men let out a laugh.

"Cut him!"

"Slit his throat!"

"Do it!" they cheered.

The leader turned back to Jedite with a grin. "You heard them!"

Jedite knew he'd never be able to take on so many people without his magic, and he eyed the knife warily, knowing he had to get away. Humans were brainless, savage creatures, and he doubted he could reason with them. As much as it would hurt his pride to do so, he had no choice but to run for now. Once his magic returned, he could always track these men down later to get his revenge.

Without any warning, Jedite lashed out with a boot as hard as he could. He hit the other man in a very sensitive region, and as predicted, he was released as the other man crumpled to the ground in agony. He took off running but he only got a few steps before his ankle was seized and he was jerked to the ground, hard. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the leader had been the one to grab him from where he'd crumpled to the ground, and he looked absolutely murderous.

Jedite kicked and kicked with all his might, but the leader tightened his grip and then pulled him towards himself.

"You're dead meat!" the leader hissed.

The rest of the gang were watching in shock, unable to believe Jedite had dared do such a thing. The leader began to hit Jedite, and there was nothing the other man could do about it. His body was much too weak to fight, and his struggles did nothing to stop the assault. He did his best to fight back, but the leader was much stronger than him, and every time he tried to defend himself, he was hit even harder.

The whole gang was cheering at every cut and bruise he received, and although it embarrassed him to do so, Jedite curled into a fetal ball in an attempt to protect himself. His entire body was in agony, and he doubted he stood any chance at escaping. He covered his face and hoped this wouldn't be how he died. To die from a wretched human would be the ultimate insult, and he knew he had to survive no matter what. He had to survive so he could later return to deliver a beating ten-fold what he had received.

Hit after hit fell on him, and Jedite knew he was getting seriously injured. He could feel the stickiness of blood on his head, and he was beginning to feel dizzy and somewhat disorientated. When the beating finally stopped, he was barely conscious, and didn't move from his position.

"Is he dead?" one of the gang members asked.

He felt a hand tilt his chin up, but he couldn't open his eyes. "No." the person answered. "He's still breathing."

He was given a hard kick in the back. "What's this weirdo even wearing? Is this some sort of new school uniform or something?"

The leader pulled at the sleeve of his military uniform. "I dunno, but it looks expensive. I think those boots are leather, and probably some sort of name brand. We could probably sell these for a lot."

To his complete humiliation, he felt himself being stripped, and a few moments later, he was laying in the cold snow in nothing but his underpants.

Someone grabbed him by the hair, and his head was forced up. "Think he'll live?" the man asked. "He looks pretty bad."

"Probably not, but we should make sure he can't rat us out to the police. They've been giving us a hard time lately, and I don't need assault charges on top of that." the leader answered.

Jedite couldn't seem to force his eyes open, but a second later he heard a 'shing' as the switchblade was brought out. Fiery pain erupted in the right of his chest, and he twitched, but was unable to move or make a sound.

"There, I stabbed him in the heart." the leader said. "Let's get out of here before someone sees us."

Jedite heard the group of men take off down the alley, and he took a deep, shuddering breath. All humans were absolute scum, and for the life of him he couldn't understand why Sailor Moon wanted to save them. There wasn't a single good thing about humanity, and they were just pathetic and violent little apes. The universe would be better off without humans to pollute it, and he vowed to purge the planet as soon as he was able.

The bitter cold stung his already sore and abused body, and Jedite knew he was likely going to freeze to death if he didn't bleed out first. As hard as he tried, he couldn't move, and he let out a soft groan of frustration. He was the first General of the Dark Kingdom, and he would not die this way! How could he allow himself to be killed by an idiot who didn't even know what side of the body the heart was in?

Clenching his fingers into the snow, he felt his body going numb from the cold, the pain lessening slightly. His face was too bruised and swollen to open his eyes, and had no idea what he was going to do. He could feel the darkness beginning to creep in, and he fought against it, knowing it meant death.

Suddenly he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. "He's still alive, Mei." a man's voice announced.

He felt hands looking over his wounds, and he let out a small whine of protest.

"Just hold on, son. Try to stay awake for us, alright?" the man said. "Mei, go get Lee. We need to get him out of the snow before he freezes. Hurry!"

Jedite heard footsteps crunch away through the snow, and the gentle hands continued carefully looking over his cuts and bruises. He felt something heavy and warm draped over him, and the man very, very carefully shifted him so he was no longer laying directly in the snow. The heaviness of sleep began pulling at him, and he heard a few muffled voices talking over him. As he felt himself lifted, he lost the battle and fell unconscious, completely at the world's mercy.

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 **Reviews Make The Author Happy! ^_^**

 **The next update will be tomorrow, Dec. 23rd.**


	2. Three Strange Humans

**Authornote:** **Dec. 23rd 2017**

 **Hi everyone!**

 **I really didn't have a lot of time to work on this story because I needed to get it finished for today. (it's a gift for my sister and I won't have time to write tomorrow) I'm hoping it's not too bad since I'm not familiar with the anime other than what I remember from the 90's. I know certain scenes might seem a little rushed, but I just didn't have time to flesh out the story like I wanted.**

 **Please let me know any feedback, suggestions or criticisms you might have, and I'll do my best to improve. Chapter 2 will be posted tomorrow.**

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 ** Shattered**

Chapter 2

Three Strange Humans

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Jedite wasn't exactly freezing, but he also wasn't warm either. He wasn't entirely certain how long he'd been asleep, but several times he woke in an extreme amount of pain as his wounds were being tended to. A soft and gentle voice was always quick to comfort him, and although his mind was too muddled to understand the words, he didn't feel like he was in any danger. He was always coaxed back into sleep, and after a time the swelling began to go down in his face. Once, when he woke during a particularly painful bandage change, he was able to open his eyes a crack, and he saw the blurry outline of a man with white hair.

"M-Malachite?" he whispered out, his throat dry and scratchy.

"Rest." the gentle voice ordered. "Keep your strength and sleep."

"F-failed." Jedite whispered. "Failed Beryl."

"Shh." the man scolded, stroking his hair. "Sleep."

His eyes had then drifted closed, and he felt himself slip back to sleep, not having the energy to argue. When he woke the next time, he was more alert and he opened his eyes, his vision finally clear enough to see around him.

He was covered in a pile of ratty looking blankets and was laying on the ground, a thin mat of some sort beneath him. There was an open fire a few feet away, that being the only source of warmth around. He turned his head slightly and saw there was a tarp above him making a shabby sort of shelter, and he appeared to be in an alley somewhere. Taking a deep breath, he winced at the pain this caused, and let out a small groan of complaint.

That small noise was enough to catch the attention of the person nearby, and a moment later the face of an old man was looking down at him.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" the man said, giving him a smile and holding a plastic bottle to Jedite's lips. "It's water, drink, you're pretty dehydrated."

Jedite recognized the voice as the man who had taken care of him and he frowned. Who was this human, and what did he want? Why did he want to help him? Incredibly thirsty, he hesitantly drank a few sips of the water which seemed to satisfy the man.

"I was a little worried about that head-wound, but you seem to be pretty alert. I think you'll be perfectly fine."

Jedite glared at the man, and attempted to sit up. Agonizing stabs of pain in his chest made themselves known, and he fell back down with a gasp. The old man placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him down and shook his head.

"You need to stay laying down, son." he told him. You're going to rip those stitches, and your ribs are still badly bruised. I need to change your bandages, but I'll be as careful as possible."

As the old man reached for the bandage that was wrapped around Jedite's head, Jedite jerked his head away. "Don't touch me, you disgusting human! Get away from me!"

He had tried to sound intimidating, but his voice came out as croaky and weak sounding even to his own ears.

The man didn't seem bothered by Jedite's hostile attitude, and simply raised an eyebrow in question. "My name is Seito, actually, not 'disgusting human', but close enough. I need to change your bandages before your wounds get infected, now stay still."

Unable to do anything about it, Jedite watched as Seito carefully unwrapped the bandages, and then began disinfecting the wound with some sort of white paste. Jedite let out a hiss of protest, and Seito gave him an apologetic look.

"I know it hurts, but it's better than an infection." he told him. "Try to stay still."

Gritting his teeth in pain, Jedite remained silent and still, glad when Seito was finally finished. To his dismay, the blankets were then pulled aside so Seito could continue on with his other injuries. Shivering from the cold, Jedite was able to stay silent until it was the stab wound that was being tended to.

Letting out a howl of pain, he tried to lash out at the old man. "I will kill you!" Jedite vowed. "I will disembowel you, and feed you to the dogs!"

Seito simply gave him a pat on the head. "Hush. You're acting like a child, now stay still and let me work."

Jedite flushed and fell silent. Who did this shriveled, old human think he was? How dare he talk to him like that! Seito very gently finished cleaning and re-bandaging the wounds, and then he covered Jedite back up with the blankets.

"Mei is doing her rounds downtown and hopefully she'll earn enough to buy supper tonight." Seito told him. "Lee is out trying to acquire a few medical supplies and should be back soon. It's just you and me for now."

Jedite simply stared at him, those names meaning nothing to him. Why had this human saved him? What was he expecting in return? Did he know who he was and want power in exchange for the help? Did he want to join the Dark Kingdom, or was there something else he was after?

"Why did you save me?" Jedite demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Seito blinked in surprise. "I know you're part of a gang, but that doesn't mean I'd just leave you there to die. You're just a boy, and you have your whole life ahead of you. I had to help you, we all did."

Jedite was offended at another child comment, and didn't believe a word of what the old man was saying.

"I have nothing to give you." Jedite snapped. "I don't consort with your kind."

Seito's eyes turned a bit sad. "You mean a homeless person." he said, sounding resigned.

Jedite wrinkled his nose. "No, I meant a human." he answered. "Humans are all savage, and horrible creatures."

Seito looked Jedite over with an even sadder look. "I suppose there are a lot of people like that." he acknowledged. "But not everyone. We don't have much in the way of riches, but the three of us are good people. You're welcome to stay here, and we will help you get well again."

Jedite didn't trust him in the least and glared at him through eyes that were narrowed to slits. "Why?" he demanded. "What do you expect to get in return?"

Seito stared at him in silence, the suspicion and distrust on Jedite's face making him feel pity for the other man. What kind of life had he had to turn him this way? What had happened to this poor young man?

"We want nothing in return." he finally replied. "Is there anybody you want us to contact for you? Any friends or family?"

Jedite silently shook his head.

"You look to be about university age, and so surely you must have parents! A mother? A father?"

Again Jedite shook his head. "There's no one."

"Where are you staying?"

Jedite gave a shrug. "None of your business."

Seito nodded. "I see. Will you at least tell me your name?"

Jedite glared at him and said nothing.

Seito gave another nod. "I wasn't sure whether to take you to a hospital because of your gang-related activities. I knew you might be a wanted man, and so we waited to ask you."

Jedite knew that if he was taken to a hospital, the doctors were bound to discover he wasn't human and that would be disastrous for him. The Sailor Scouts would definitely find out he was alive, and without his magic, he'd be helpless against them.

"No hospitals."

"Alright, son, no hospitals. Now you should get some rest before you overexert yourself. Your body needs time and rest to heal. Sleep, and I'll wake you when the others return. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you while I'm here."

Jedite stared at Seito in confusion, the old man seemingly completely genuine. He didn't understand why the human would want to help him even though he was getting nothing in return. This went against what he knew of humans, and he had no idea what to think. He still didn't trust him, and knew he'd have to keep a careful eye on this situation until he figured out this old man's angle.

Seito quietly left his side and went to sit next to the fire, adding a few pieces of wood to it as he did so. Jedite watched him for a few minutes before the drowsiness began overtaking him. He wasn't in quite as much pain as before, and although he still wasn't warm, he was comfortable enough to once again fall asleep.

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When Jedite woke a short time later, it was to a painful hunger. When he opened his eyes, he saw why his body was reacting in such a way, and frowned. There was a middle-aged woman sitting just in front of him cooking something over the fire. She had dark hair that was beginning to grey, and was dressed in a long trenchcoat and a thick wooly scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck.

Whatever she was making smelled amazing to his starving body, and despite himself, he craned his neck to see what it was. He couldn't see inside the pot, but by the sound, he could tell something was boiling. The woman saw the movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned to look at him. When she saw him awake, she offered him a smile and waved at him silently.

"Who are you?" Jedite demanded.

The woman didn't answer, instead turning back to the pot on the fire. Jedite scowled at her, and tried to sit up. Wincing at the pain this caused, he fell back, and the woman was at his side in an instant. She placed a hand gently on his chest and then shook her head, her expression worried and somewhat sad.

"Don't touch me!" Jedite snarled, trying to pull away from her. "Who are you?"

The woman gave his shoulder a pat, but stayed silent.

"Why won't you answer me?" Jedite demanded angrily. "How dare you show such disrespect to me! Do you have any idea who I am, human? I could easily destroy you if I wanted!"

She made a motion with her hands that he didn't understand, but still stayed silent, her thick scarf slipping down a bit from the movement. It was then that Jedite saw the scars that covered her neck. It looked like some sort of wild animal had tried to claw out her throat, the scars reaching from ear to ear, the skin raised and red to the look. She noticed him staring, and she immediately pulled her scarf back into place self-consciously.

Jedite furrowed his brow. "Can you speak?"

The woman shook her head, and stirred whatever was inside the pot. Jedite glanced around with a frown. Where was the man from before? Who was this woman, and why was she left with him? He couldn't seem to remember the man's name, and cursed his fuzzy memory.

"The man...the one who was here before, where did he go?"

The woman made a vague gesture in a direction, and that was all the explanation he got. Jedite let out a sigh and leaned back on the mat, wishing he had the strength to leave. He hated the fact he was completely at these humans mercy, and knew he had no choice but to remain where he was until he could get up. Once he had his strength back, no one would dare lay a hand on him again. He'd destroy anyone that tried.

He then heard laughter from down the alleyway, and moment later Seito and another man made their way towards the camp.

"Mei, that smells fantastic!" Seito announced. "I could smell supper all the way from the street! You are a genius, my dear!"

The woman, Mei, gave him a smile and rolled her eyes. She made a few hand gestures to him and Seito laughed.

"No, I'm not trying to get extra food." he assured her. "I was just complimenting the wonderful aroma that is making me starving!"

Mei made a few more gestures, and Seito turned to Jedite in surprise. "Oh, you're awake!" he commented. "You were sleeping so well that I didn't want to disturb you. How are you feeling?"

Jedite scowled at him.

"Oh, that well, eh?"

The other man with Seito had said nothing, and was staring at Jedite with suspicious eyes. The man was also middle-aged and had overgrown dirty-looking blond hair and a sharp weasely looking face. His dark eyes were fixed directly on Jedite and there was no humour in them, only wariness.

"I suppose this means we have to feed him." the man commented.

Seito nudged the man with his elbow. "Aw, don't be like that, Lee. The boy can't help that he's hurt. It's no bother to feed him for a few days."

Lee pulled a small leather book out of his pocket and flipped it open. "He's already cost us 4752 Yen in medical supplies, and if we add supper to that total it will bring it up to roughly 5352 Yen. Which of us is supposed to keep paying this?"

Seito rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a Scrooge, it's almost Christmas."

"I don't celebrate Christmas." Lee responded, making a note in his book. "It's a waste of time and money."

"Like I said, Scrooge." Seito answered with a grin.

Seito approached Jedite and settled himself down in front of him. "You must be pretty hungry, it's been days since you've eaten."

Jedite was in fact starving, but he had no idea what this food would do to him. He would have to avoid eating until he could figure out what was and wasn't safe for him. His stomach chose that moment to betray him, however, and growled loudly. Seito grinned at him.

"I thought so. It's such a cold day that we thought a nice noodle soup would be perfect for supper." Seito told him. "We couldn't afford any meat today, but there are plenty of vegetables."

Mei dished some of the soup into a tin cup and passed it over to Seito who eagerly seized it. He gave it a sniff and then turned to Jedite.

"Wait until you try Mei's cooking! She used to own a restaurant here in Minato-ku, and no one in Japan cooks better than her! You'll fall in love with everything she makes!"

Setting down the soup for a moment, Seito very carefully helped sit Jedite up, and he placed a bunch of pillows and blankets behind him to prop him up. Jedite winced at the pain such a small movement caused and took a deep breath, trying to push past the discomfort. Seito held out a spoon towards him, and then hesitated.

"Your arms are probably too bruised to hold anything." he stated. "Can you move your arms?"

Jedite lifted his arms with another wince, but they felt stiff and awkward.

"Good, at least they're not broken." Seito said. "I'll help you eat until the swelling in your arms go down a bit."

Jedite watched as the man spooned out a bit of the soup, and he shook his head.

"No, I don't want any." he said rudely. "Get that away from me!"

Seito gave him a patient look, seemingly unbothered by the tone. Without a word, he held the spoon to Jedite's lips who turned his head away.

"Get away from me, you disgusting old man! I said I don't want any, now leave me alone!"

Lee glared at him from the other side of the fire, but he said nothing, leaving it up to Seito to respond. Seito grabbed Jedite by the chin, and turned his head so they were face to face.

"You need to eat if you want to get well. You don't need to be so aggressive with us, we're not going to hurt you. It won't kill you to allow us to help you. I know it's embarrassing, and awkward, but it's not the end of the world. Now stop acting like a spoiled child, and eat something. Your soup is going to get cold."

Jedite glared at him. "How dare y-"

He cut off as Seito shoved the spoon in his mouth. Choking in surprise, Jedite reflexively swallowed, and then froze, realizing what he'd just done. He waited a few seconds, but there was no excruciating agony, and his stomach gave another loud growl. Seito already had another spoonful ready, and Jedite had to admit the soup was probably the best tasting food he had ever eaten.

Seito raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?" he questioned.

Jedite scowled at him, weighing his options. His body was demanding food, and so far the soup didn't seem to be negatively affecting him. He was so hungry at this point that he wasn't even sure he cared whether he ended up getting poisoned.

"...fine." he answered grumpily.

Seito gave him a smile. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist Mei's cooking!"

Unable to hold the spoon himself, Jedite had to allow himself to be fed like a toddler, and it was both degrading and extremely humiliating. He was much too hungry to refuse the food now that he'd tasted it, and so he didn't say a word. He didn't know what most of the vegetables were that he was eating, and still hoped he wouldn't get sick from it. What if he had a fatal allergy to carrots? He had no way of knowing, and hoped he wouldn't find out the hard way.

All too soon the soup was gone, and he glanced towards the pot that was still simmering over the fire. Seito followed his gaze, and then shook his head sadly.

"Sorry, son, but we can't afford to have seconds right now. We don't earn as much during the winter, and so we all have to tighten our belts. You can have a bit more for breakfast, alright?"

Jedite's initial reaction to that was anger, but when he stared at the humans in front of him, he saw how thin they were, and realized they probably really were starving. He frowned and wasn't quite sure what he thought about this. Why would they share with him when they didn't even have enough for themselves? It didn't make any sense, and was counterproductive to keeping themselves alive in his opinion. Humans really were dumb, primitive creatures.

Seito noticed his range of expressions as realization sunk in, and gave him a pat on the head. "Don't worry, tomorrow will be a bit better for us food-wise because Sundays are the day the supermarkets clean out their produce. With any luck, we'll be able to expand our soup so that we can have seconds for a few days."

Jedite said nothing, and so Seito set aside the empty cup. "Do you want to remain sitting up, or do you want to lay down?" he asked.

As much as he wanted to appear strong, Jedite's ribs were aching from sitting up and so he answered. "Down."

Seito very carefully helped him lay down again, and he adjusted the blankets around him, trying to get him comfortable. He reached out for something nearby and a moment later Seito set a full bottle of water beside Jedite's head. He stuck a bendy-straw into the mouth of the bottle, and turned it so Jedite could easily reach it if he wanted.

"Try to keep hydrated." Seito told him. "It will help stave off the hunger for a while. I'll make us some sweet tea a little later, and that will warm you up."

Seito then approached the fire to sit with the others and to get his own supper. Jedite watched the three interact with one another, and found it strange they seemed to get along so well. Seito and Lee fought almost non-stop, but there didn't seem to be any maliciousness in what they said or did. Seito was always smiling, and Lee seemed exasperated, but in good spirits. It was almost a game the two of them were playing, and it was extremely bizarre. It was so different to how the four Generals treated one another that Jedite simply watched in disbelief.

The four Generals never hesitated in trying to backstab one another if that meant any sort of gain for themselves. Jedite had always thought they got along pretty well, but now as he watched the three humans, he began to realize he was sorely mistaken.

Although the generals never really tried to hurt or kill each other most of the time, there was no feeling of safety and peace when any of them were together. There was always an underlying feeling of being on edge. He thought that's how people interacted with one another, but now he was beginning to wonder if the Generals had actually been enemies that had simply tolerated one another.

Jedite let out a deep breath. It wasn't like it mattered anymore, considering everyone he had known were now dead or long gone. He was the only one left, and now he had to forge ahead on his own, and find his place in this strange and primitive planet.

Seito threw an arm around both Mei and Lee, and he began to sing a very loud and enthusiastic song about some sort of decorated tree. Lee looked a bit exasperated, but Jedite could see the amusement lurking in the other man's eyes. Mei was smiling serenely into the fire, and Jedite noted that everyone seemed completely content and happy despite their future being uncertain. Jedite wasn't sure why, but he felt a little bit left out. He was an outsider looking in, and he had no place here. He didn't even belong on this planet.

He listened to Seito sing for a while until it got very dark, and his eyes began to feel heavy. The sound of music followed him into his dreams, and for once in his life, the nightmares of war were kept at bay.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

When Jedite woke the next morning, he felt a lot better than the day before and opened his eyes to the sight of Lee heating up the soup for breakfast. Rubbing at his eyes, Jedite was pleased to see the swelling had gone down considerably in his arms and he could now move his fingers. Lee noticed the movement and glanced over at him, immediately frowning.

"I suppose you'll be wanting breakfast?" he asked.

"Where's Seito?" Jedite demanded, seeing no signs of the others.

"Mei and Seito have gone to the grocery store to see what they can scrounge from the old produce. They'll be back later. I'll be the one looking after you for this morning."

Jedite frowned at Lee, knowing the other man didn't want him there. If they were as poorly off as he suspected, then he couldn't blame him for not wanting to add another mouth to feed. Lee brought over a tin cup of soup, and he helped Jedite sit up, looking like he was being extremely inconvenienced. Jedite immediately reached out to take the soup, hungry and not willing to turn away any offered food.

"Oh, good, the swelling is getting better!" Lee said, kneeling down beside him. "Your bruises are starting to heal as well, and you'll be on your feet in no time How are you feeling?"

Although Lee's tone was brisk, he was clearly trying to sound nice, and Jedite gave him a nod. "Better." He answered.

"Good, good." Lee said, turning away. "You'll be on your way soon, and then you can pay us back for what you owe."

Jedite narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Lee pulled out that same little notebook from the night before and opened it. "I don't have the final numbers yet since you're still here, but you're costing us an average of 2000 Yen a day. Do you have a bank account or any way to pay this back?"

Jedite slowly shook his head, and Lee let out a sigh. "Of course not. No matter, I'll figure something out. Eat your breakfast, and then I'll change your bandages."

Lee walked away muttering to himself, and Jedite hesitantly lifted a spoonful of soup to his mouth. It was just as good as the night before, and he pretty much inhaled the soup, wanting more but knowing better than to ask for it. He could only imagine Lee's expression if he did. Carefully, laying back down, he set aside the empty cup, and watched as Lee resumed his seat next to the fire.

Lee was adding a few more pieces of wood to the flames, and suddenly he stood to his feet, an alarmed expression crossing his face. Jedite could hear voices coming up the alley, and Lee ran over to him and quickly threw several blankets over Jedite's head. Jedite began to protest, but Lee put his finger to his lips and then hurried away from him. Jedite could still see through a tiny crack in the blankets and he watched as several figures approached the camp. To Jedite's horror it was the gang from before, and they seemed out to cause trouble. He held his breath, and watched as the leader approached Lee.

"Hey hobo." The gang leader greeted. "Where's the rest of your smelly family?"

"They're out." Lee answered evasively.

"Well, there's something we need to talk to you guys about."

"And that is…?" Lee prompted, warily.

"A few days ago there was someone killed in the South alley. We haven't heard anything about the murder, and the body's gone."

"What does this have to do with me?" Lee demanded. "I didn't do it."

"Of course you didn't do it, you moron!" the gang leader snapped. "I need to know if the police have been sniffing around. Did they ask you anything?"

Lee shook his head. "They took a body away a few days ago, but no one came to speak with us. I assumed it was just a rival gang member."

"Good, good." The gang leader said with a nod. "He must have been a nobody if no one cares."

"Are we done?" Lee demanded, crossing his arms.

"Yes, we're done." He started to turn away to his gang, but then stopped. "There's just one more thing."

"Oh?" Lee asked.

Without any warning, Lee was punched hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. The gang leader hit him over and over, and Jedite could only watch, still barely daring to breathe. When the beating was finally finished, Lee was a mass of blood, and the gang leader gave a laugh.

"Just a little reminder to keep your mouth shut." He told him. "You saw nothing, you know nothing, or else we'll be back with bats, is this understood?"

Lee nodded wordlessly from the ground.

"If I even catch wind that you talked to a cop, you're a dead man."

Jedite watched as the gang turned and left, and Lee slowly sat up, wiping the blood from his face. Lee wasn't badly hurt, but there was a lot of blood, and he let out a curse. Jedite knew Lee could have easily given him up, but instead he chose to hide him, and lie for him. Why would the human do that for him, if he was such a burden to them? He wasn't their friend, and he wasn't even very nice to them. Pushing aside the blankets, Jedite tried to struggle to sit up.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded.

Lee glanced over at him and didn't answer.

"I don't understand why you people keep helping me even though you don't know me. Why would you do this?"

Lee still didn't answer, and instead wiped his face off with a clean-looking rag. When he had stemmed the bleeding from his nose, he washed his hands in a basin full of water, and then approached Jedite.

"Let's take a look at those stitches." He said. "We don't want them getting infected."

Jedite frowned, but allowed the man to undo his bandages so he could clean and disinfect the wound. Knowing that these strange little humans were going to so much trouble to save his life, made him fee rather uncomfortable, and he wasn't sure how to react. He stayed silent as Lee rewrapped his body in clean bandages, and when the other man was finished, Jedite averted his gaze.

"…thank you."

Lee seemed a bit surprised, but gave him a nod. "The others will be back soon."

Lee then went back and sat next to the fire. Jedite watched him in silence, getting the feeling the other man wished they'd never taken him in. Jedite would never defend another person like Lee had, and still wondered why he'd done it. Jedite remained silent for a long time, and it wasn't long before he could hear Seito approaching, singing loudly. Lee let out a sigh, but otherwise didn't react.

"Hey Lee, we're back!" the bearded man announced as soon as he approached the camp.

"I know." Lee grumpily responded. "I could hear you from five kilometers away."

Seito laughed and approached, but then stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Lee. He let out a gasp and rushed over, reaching out to look over the bruises on the other man's face.

"Lee, what happened?" he asked.

"The Shinigami gang." Lee answered. "They were looking for him."

Seito glanced over at Jedite who quickly looked away.

"Are you alright?" Seito asked Lee in concern. "Do you need anything?"

"Other than needing a stiff drink, I'm fine." Lee answered with a shrug. "Our patient is doing a lot better today. The swelling has gone down a lot."

"Oh, Lee." Seito said with a sigh. "Don't try to change the subject.."

Mei approached and put her arms around Lee, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Mei, I'm fine." He assured her irritably. "It's just a few bruises. I've had much worse."

Seito took one last look at the bruises and then handed Lee a flask. "Drink up, you deserve it."

Lee accepted the flask, but didn't take a drink before noting something down in his notebook.

When he was certain Lee was truly alright, Seito approached Jedite and then knelt down beside him. "How are you feeling?" he asked him gently. "Is there a lot of pain today?"

Jedite wordlessly shook his head. Seito rested a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

"It's alright." He assured him. "What happened with Lee wasn't your fault. The Shinigami gang have been plaguing us for years. Don't blame yourself for what happened. They come by now and then just to rough us up."

"I don't blame myself." Jedite snapped.

"Alright." Seito said with a smile. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Jedite nodded.

"Good, I'm glad to hear Mr. Cheapskate wasn't starving our patient."

Lee glared over at him. "I'm the only one who cares about our finances. If it wasn't for me, you would have starved to death long ago!"

"Whatever you say, Lee." Seito replied in amusement.

Mei made a few hand gestures towards Lee who scowled at her. "Not you too, Mei! You guys are hopeless!"

Seito laughed, and scratched at his beard, settling himself down beside Jedite. "Our family might be a little unconventional, but I wouldn't change a thing. Where do you come from, son?"

Jedite looked away. "None of your business. I've already told you that I don't want to talk to you. Once I can move, I'm leaving."

As usual, Seito didn't seem bothered by his rudeness. "I'm Japanese through and through, but Mei is Indian, and Lee is American."

"Canadian." Lee corrected.

"Whatever, same thing." Seito answered with a roll of the eyes. "We're all from different parts of the world, but we found each other, and created our own little family. Family doesn't have to be blood, you just have to have a strong connection. You don't look Japanese, son, where are you from?"

Jedite gave a shrug.

"You speak Japanese very well, and so I assume you went to school here?"

Jedite gave another shrug.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me anything about yourself. I understand that you don't really know me, and aren't sure who to trust. We won't hurt you, and you're welcome to stay here as long as you wish. Temporarily, you've joined our strange little family."

Jedite said nothing and stared down at the ground. These humans really did seem harmless enough, and they did save his life, but he couldn't get past his wariness. All humans were violent and primitive, and so he didn't trust their kindness. He had a feeling they would betray him at the first opportunity. He did feel like he should offer them a small sign of gratitude for what they'd done, but had no idea what to say. As Seito started to edge closer to the fire, Jedite spoke up.

"Jedite."

Seito paused and turned around? "Hmm? What was that, son?"

"My name is Jedite."

Seito blinked in surprise, and then he grinned widely. "Jedite? As in the gemstone Jade?"

Jedite nodded.

"Alright, Jade, glad to officially meet you."

Jedite scowled. "Don't call me that. My name is Jedite."

"Alright, Jed, glad to officially meet you." Seito amended. "I have to give Lee the bag of produce we got so the miser can keep track of it all."

"Seito, don't start!" Lee called over.

Seito gave Jedite a cheeky grin, and then glanced over at Lee. "If it was up to him, Jed, he'd only allow us to eat a beansprout a day."

"I can hear you!" Lee informed him. "And if it was up to you, you'd eat everything all at once and then starve for the rest of the week! What did you get today?"

"We got a lot of good stuff!" Seito announced, edging over to the fire, and holding out a plastic bag. "Motoki was working, and he saved us the best stuff! Look at what he included!"

Lee opened the bag and peered inside. "Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise. "That man really takes good care of us. I hope you thanked him! We can make a very nice meal for Christmas with this!"

"Ha! I knew you liked Christmas!" Seito challenged.

Lee rolled his eyes and set the bag aside. "Of course I don't." he answered. "But if we're going to waste all our food on one meal, it might as well be a good meal."

Jedite watched as this erupted into a full-blown argument, and wasn't sure what to think about this. They didn't really seem angry at one another, but there was still a lot of yelling. Mei approached him, and took a seat next to him silently. Jedite glanced over at her as she began knitting, seemingly completely content to ignore the two men. He watched her for a few minutes, and decided she was more interesting than the other two humans.

"What are you making?" he asked.

Mei reached inside her knitting bag and pulled out a finished sweater. Jedite nodded and looked the woman up and down, wondering about how she got injured in such a brutal way. He had seen injuries like that from the demons living in the Dark Kingdom, but never here on Earth. It really did look like someone or something had tried to tear her head off.

"What happened to your neck?" he asked, making a gesture towards her.

Just like that the two men arguing froze, and they turned towards them. Mei 's entire demeanor changed, and she slowly set down her knitting and averted her gaze away from him. Seito hurried over, and then laid a hand on Jedite's shoulder.

"You should rest now, Jed." He suggested. "You don't want to overdo it. Why don't you lay down for a while, and I'll wake you for lunch?"

Mei signed something, and Seito paused. "Mei…are you sure?"

She nodded, and Seito looked incredibly uncertain. Lee sat down next to Mei and took her by the hand, the two men exchanging a very long look.

"Jed, Mei said she doesn't mind if we tell you, but this is a very sensitive topic, do you understand? Once we tell you this, it is not to be discussed again."

They had peaked Jedite's curiosity, and he gave a nod, wondering what the big secret was.

Seito gave one more glance to Mei to make sure she was alright, and then cleared his throat. "I mentioned to you before that Mei used to own her own restaurant, right?"

Again, Jedite nodded.

"She was very successful, and people came from all over just to be able to taste her wonderful food. She had a husband and two little girls, and she was pregnant for their third child."

Mei had stiffened, and Seito paused. "Are you alright, Mei?"

She gave a slow nod.

Seito continued, but kept a close eye on her as he did so. "Seven years ago her restaurant was attacked by a horrible monster. It was after some sort of lifeforce energy and when her children began to collapse, her husband tried to fight the monster off. Mei watched as he was killed in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Mei tried to defend the rest of her family, but the monster attacked her, and seriously injured her. When she awoke, she was in the hospital, and it was to the news that her entire family was dead and her restaurant had burned to the ground. Her injuries had caused her to miscarry, and just like that she had lost everything in an instant. She was no longer able to speak because of the damage to his throat, and even now it still pains her. I met both Mei and Lee five years ago, and we've been together ever since."

Mei was shaking with suppressed sobs, and Lee pulled her into a tight hug. Jedite had no idea what to say to this, knowing the monster was definitely from the Dark Kingdom. Jedite scoffed, and looked away. If the stupid human had've just fled, she wouldn't have been hurt. Why would she stay to fight when it was already too late for her family? It didn't make any sense.

"In my culture, if someone becomes permanently disabled, they are put down to make room for a more able-bodied person to take their place."

All three humans stared at him, slack-jawed and unable to believe he'd just said that.

"What are you talking about?" Lee snapped, narrowing his eyes.

Jedite grew thoughtful. "If someone is injured in battle or because of a punishment, they're killed if they have a disability. I broke my leg during training once, and it was uncertain if I'd heal correctly. Luckily for me I made a full recovery and was allowed out of the pit of death to resume training."

Seito's eyes widened. "Pit of death?!"

Jedite nodded. "That was just the nickname we gave the dungeon where people are sent to be killed. The higher-ups wanted the less than perfect people kept far out of sight. You never saw anyone who was injured or sick, only the strong and perfect."

"Where did you say you were from again..?" Seito hesitantly asked.

"I didn't say." Jedite replied.

"In your country…would they kill you in your current state?" Lee asked, looking him up and down.

"That would remain to be seen." Jedite replied off-handedly. "If I couldn't continue my work, I'd be put down just like anyone else."

The three humans simply stared at him, a mixture of emotions on their faces. To Jedite's surprise and disgust, Mei gave him a kiss on the forehead, her expression sad.

"Don't!" Jedite snapped. "What a disgusting thing to do!"

Mei simply gave him a sad looking smile.

"You really should rest now." Seito said, frowning. "Take it easy for today, and maybe you'll be able to get up tomorrow."

"If you're bored, you can read one of my novels if you like." Lee told him, pointing to a small stack of books nearby. "Just try not to damage them, because some are from the library."

Seito motioned for the others to follow him, and they walked a short distance away. They spoke together in a huddle, and every now and then one of them would glance over at Jedite and he knew they were talking about him. Scowling, he looked away, knowing he shouldn't care what a few stupid, little human were saying. He had the feeling he shouldn't have told them about the Dark Kingdom, but it was too late to take back now.

For the rest of the day he rested and read a couple of the books Lee had offered. Incredibly bored, he hoped he would finally be able to get up and move around soon. He was going to lose his mind if he laid there for much longer. Reading poorly written romance novels were not his idea of a fun time. The humans were very busy preparing things for something going on the next day, and he was confused at the decorations they seemed to be throwing on every surface around him. Seito was humming as he worked, and even Lee seemed to be in good spirits as he straightened everything Seito was putting up.

Both lunch and supper were larger portions than before, and for once he didn't have the uncomfortable stabs of hunger in his stomach. Lee hadn't even voiced a complaint when Seito had slipped him an extra piece of bread. He had made note of it in his book, but said nothing.

When Jedite went to sleep that night, it was once again to the sounds of Seito singing by the fire.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

Jedite nearly had a heart attack when he was shaken hard, and Seito bellowed into his ear. Looking up in alarm, he saw the older man was grinning down at him, wearing some sort of ridiculous red hat.

"It's Christmas!" he repeated a bit more quietly. "Merry Christmas, Jed!"

Jedite blinked and glanced around, noting the sun was barely up. The others were up as well, and were giving him amused looks.

"What in Beryl's name is the matter with you?" Jedite demanded, grouchily rubbing at his eyes.

"Aw, don't be a sourpuss like Lee!" Seito scolded. "It's time to get up, time to have fun!"

Jedite gave him a flat look, and then rolled over to go back to sleep. Seito gave him another shake.

"It's breakfast time, come on, time to get up! You can't sleep in on Christmas!"

Letting out a deep, irritated sigh, Jedite very slowly and carefully sat up. Seito gave him a beaming smile.

"You sat up on your own! That's fantastic! You'll be up on your feet in no time!"

Jedite glanced over at the others and saw they were eating very large plates of something or another. Following his gaze, Seito laughed.

"Do you want to come sit with us by the fire to have your breakfast?"

It was a simple offer, but it surprised Jedite to be included. Not sure what to say, he gave a silent nod. Anything was better than the boredom of laying there all day.

"Wonderful!" Seito exclaimed. "Just a moment."

He dug through a box nearby, and a moment later pulled out some clothes. "They're not new, but they're clean. You'll need to dress warmly if you get up, or you'll get sick. Here, I'll help you get dressed."

A few minutes later, Jedite found himself carefully seated beside the others around the fire dressed in shabby looking sweatpants and an ugly burgundy sweater. All four of them had a blanket draped around their shoulders, and they were quite warm sitting by the warm fire. A heaping plate of eggs was shoved into Jedite's hands, and as he silently ate, he listened to Seito blather on about this and that.

He listened to the stories Seito told (most of which he felt certain were lies) and to Lee's complaining about absolutely everything. Mei sat quietly while carefully knitting, and seemed perfectly content to simply listen to the others.

Seito seemed to have a special sort of energy about him this day that chased away the chill and kept everyone interested. If queen Beryl were still around, Jedite knew he probably would have seized the man for further studying. It was unusual for a primitive species to have so much energy about them, and he wondered what made him so different. He was practically radiating life.

"Do you celebrate Christmas, Jed?" Seito asked him suddenly.

Jedite had no idea what that was, and so he shook his head.

"A sensible person who knows it's a waste of time and money." Lee commented.

"You hush up, Scrooge." Seito scolded. To Jedite, he said. "Normally we work every day, but since it's Christmas, we're taking the time off to celebrate. I love Christmas and it's great food, great music, and a lot of fun. Do you know any of the Christmas carols?"

Again Jedite shook his head, still having no idea what Christmas was. He assumed it was a holiday of some sort, but other than that he didn't really care.

"I'll teach you all of the carols!" Seito announced excitedly.

Lee raised an eyebrow. "All of them?"

Seito nodded solemnly. "All of them." He confirmed. "I'll win him to my side yet. Just you wait and see! By the time I'm finished, he'll love Christmas."

Lee didn't look convinced.

To Jedite's surprise, Seito began singing and singing and singing some more. Mei was smiling in amusement at his dumbstruck expression, and he couldn't help but feel very slightly amused. What a strange human…

When Seito finally took a break from the singing, he clapped his hands and gave a glance around. "Alright, time for presents!"

The humans all pulled a few things out of hiding, and to his surprise he too was given a few small parcels.

"Open them!" Seito encouraged. "You're part of our family for Christmas, and so you get presents too!"

Confused, Jedite stared down at the packages, and then very cautiously opened one. It was the blue sweater Mei had been knitting the day before, and she smiled at him brightly. She signed something and Lee translated for her.

"She says that she believes you'll look good in that colour."

Jedite wasn't sure what to say to this and glanced around, seeing that the others were given sweaters as well. Jedite set the sweater aside, and opened a very lumpy package next. Inside was a large orange and small bag of nuts still in the shell.

"You always need to get an orange for Christmas, it's tradition." Seito announced. "I'll show you how to roast those nuts later if you like. They're a great thing to snack on while drinking."

Jedite turned his attention to the third and final gift, and he opened it under everyone's watchful stare. Inside was a toothbrush, soap and a few other toiletries.

Seito rolled his eyes when he saw what it was. "Practical, I suppose, but boring."

Lee stuck his nose in the air. "Well, I assume he doesn't have any of the necessities."

Jedite set everything on top of the sweater and stared down at them, unable to remember anyone ever giving him a gift before.

"I don't celebrate Christmas…" he stated.

Seito patted him on the head. "Don't worry about it, Lee doesn't either, but yet here he is. We don't expect anything in return, we just want you to have a good time. Now let's get back to the Christmas carols!"

For the rest of the day Jedite sat with the others drinking some sort of foul whiskey, and simply enjoying the atmosphere. Seito and Mei had procured a decent amount of produce from the grocery store the day before, and so they were able to eat their fill the whole day without worry. Although some of the produce was a bit questionable looking, Mei had worked her magic and turned it into a fantastic meal of roasted vegetables with turkey scraps. They ate their supper well after dark, and Jedite couldn't believe the day had passed by so quickly.

As much as he hated Earth, and hated humans, Jedite had to admit these ones didn't seem as bad as most. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he found he didn't detest these people quite as much as before.

He couldn't remember the last time he had simply relaxed without having to worry about getting in trouble for it. Queen Beryl did not permit laziness, and so if they weren't working, she expected a very good reason as to why. To simply sit and do nothing was refreshing, and despite himself, he found a small, hesitant smile make its way to his face. Seito threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Now there you go! See what a nice smile you have? You don't need to be so spiky all the time. Relax, and have a little fun! It's Christmas!"

Jedite immediately scowled, and looked away. Seito laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Oh, Jed, you're a funny guy. It's probably time for us to get to bed anyway, it's getting late."

Jedite was actually feeling quite exhausted even though he had done nothing all day. Lee and Seito helped him over to the lean-to, and to his surprise, everyone crawled in. He froze in both surprise and horror, simply watching as everyone made themselves comfortable around him. Had these humans slept beside him every single night?!

Seito and Lee settled themselves on the outer edges of the group, with Mei in the middle where it would be warmest. They had left a space beside Mei and Jedite didn't move, simply staring awkwardly. He felt like he should protest this, but as Seito gave him an expectant look, Jedite crawled into the space left for him. Blankets were draped over the group, and now Jedite understood why these humans didn't freeze to death in the winter. This was way too much physical contact for Jedite's liking, but he was tired, and he was warm and comfortable.

He listened to the deep breathing of the people around him, and for just a moment questioned whether he had been wrong about humans. Dismissing those thoughts almost as fast as they'd appeared, Jedite knew he would be well enough to leave soon, and then he could finally work on getting his revenge. The thought of leaving these three strange humans made him frown, and he realized that they had treated him better than anyone in the Dark Kingdom ever had. He knew humans were inferior, and primitive, but these ones seemed somehow different. He still felt no magic within himself, and knew it could be a very long time he'd be trapped on this planet. What would he do with himself? Where would he go?

Jedite glanced at the sleeping face of Mei beside him, and felt safe and content. He was possibly the last of his kind, and he was all alone on this planet. Perhaps with these humans he wouldn't feel quite so alone? He still wasn't sure he liked them, but their company was better than nothing at all. Perhaps life on Earth would even be tolerable?

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